Flatiron having a retractable support



Jan. 8, 1952 SWENSQN 2,582,082

FLATIRON HAVING A RETRACTABLE SUPPORT Filed Oct. '31, 1947 m I ..||lwm............... v V

M Y W is Attorn ey.

Patented Jan. 8, 19 52 FLATIBON HAVING A RETRACTABLE I SUPPORT Alfred G. Swenson, Ontario, Calif., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application October 31, 1947, Serial No. 783,253.

1 Claim;

1 This invention relates to fiatirons and it has for its object the provision of a flatiron having improved means for supporting the iron body in an elevated restposition above the work'surface,

such as thesurface of an ironing board;

In accordance with this inventiona support for the iron is provided. This support is movable from a retracted position which it occupies during normal ironing operation to an extended position wherein it supports the pressing sur-' face of the iron above the work surface. Means are provided for actuating the support to its extended iron body supporting position responsively to a manual upward tilting of the forward end of the iron through a predetermined degree of movement.

More specifically, over-center spring means is connected to the support and is operated to and through a critical position to shift the support from its non-operative retracted position to its extended body supporting position by means of an operating element or trigger, which is operated by its engagement with the pressing board or'work surface as the iron is tilted upwardly toward its rest position. The support, spring means and trigger are returned to their initial or inoperative positions to restore the iron to condition for ironing by the relative movement between the support and iron body effected by moving the body forwardly from its rest position while the support is in contact with the work surface. In other words, the support is extended to its supporting position merely'by tilting the iron body upwardly to its rest position, and is retracted merely by moving the iron forwardly from its rest position.

For a more complete understanding of this inventiomreference should be had to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a flatiron embodying the invention, the ironbeing in normal ironing relation with respect to the ironing board; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the flatiron with the legs extended and supporting the flatiron in its elevated non-ironing position of rest; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the flatiron partly in section to show details of construction, the figure being drawn to a larger scale than are Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinalsectional view showing the condition of the supporting means with the flatiron in ironing. position; and Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but illustrating the supporting means in condition to support the flatiron in its elevated or rest position.

Referring to the drawing, this invention has been shown in one form as applied to a'flatiron having an ironing body I which comprises a metal soleplate 2 which is heated by an, electrical heating element 3 of the sheathed type, this element being substantially of hairpin shape and cast into the soleplate with the pointat the forward end of the iron and with the legs extend! ing nearly to the rear end thereof; the soleplate is provided with an upright U-shaped rib 4, which receives the element, as shown in Fig. 3. The ironing body I is further provided with a shell 5 covering the soleplate and an operatin handle .6 on the shell. soleplate 2 is provided with a bot-f tom pressing surface I which during the ironing process is horizontal or parallel to and rests on the ironing board surface 8. ,1

Suitable means are provided for supporting the iron in a rest'position as-shown in Fig. 2 in which position the pressing surface 1 makes a relatively small angle, such as about 20, with the horizontal pressing position. This means-com? prises a pair of legs 9 positioned one on either side of the longitudinal axis ofthe iron and inside the periphery of the soleplate as shown best in Fig. 3. The legs may and are intended to move down through soleplate slots 9a. to extendedbody supporting positions (Fig. 5) wherethey are substantially at right angles to the pressing surface 1. One part l3 of each leg 9 is formed into roughly a U-shape which straddles the rib 4, as shown. The outer arm I 3a f the U is pivoted by means of screwv I 4 to a stud |5iwhich isan integral part of rib 4, while the inner arm l3b is pivoted to one arm of a U-shaped bracket I1 by means of a pivot Hi, all as clearly shown" in Figs.

4 and The nexus of bracket I1 is fixed to the.

' of a transverse plate located at the rear of and 3 As shown, the forward or inner ends of levers 2| are provided with slots 25 elongated lengthwise of the arms and which function to receive the pin 19.

Also a coiled tension spring 25 is anchored at one endto the pin l9 at its midpoint and at its other end is fastened to an anchor pin 21 which 7 i fixed in any suitable manner to the soleplate 2 at a point thereof forward of the transverse axis 7 of movement of legs 9. This spring functions first to hold the various elements in their inoperative positions of Figs. 3 and 4 wherein the legs 9 are in their retracted or inoperativerpositions. That is, the spring l holds the legs retracted with the nexus of the legs abutting the rib 4, which'rib functions as a stop; and also holds the trigger 2| 'in the position of Fig. 4.

' With the'parts thus arranged, the iron may be used to press in the usual way without interference from the support mechanism. I v

Now, if it is desired to support the iron in its elevated rest position of Fig. 2, the forward end of the iron is tilted upwardly by means of handle 6. This tips the iron bodybackwardly about a transverse axisat the rear edge of the soleplate; and as a result the trigger plate 2| is moved down to contact the ironing surface 8; thereafter, as the iron body'is tilted the trigger is fo1'cedc0unte1'clockwise with reference to the iron body since it no longer can move relative to the ironing board 8, and this movement of the trigger pivots the .arms 2| counterclockwise about rivets 24. This movement of the levers 2| causes their forward ends to belowered and, as a result, they carry the pin l8 downwardly, this movement'of the .pinbeing-permitted since: it may slide in the elongated slots 25 as it arcs downwardly. This downward movement oftheipin l9 rotates the legs 9 clockwise with respect to' the iron body, that is, it moves the legs downwardly'and forwardly to their extendedbody supporting positionofFig. 5, and wherein the iron bodyfis supported'on thelegs 9 andthe, heel edge of the body. It will be observed vthatwhen the legs are in this position they are generally vertical; more specifically, they are substantially at right angles to the plane of the pressing surface 1. The spring'ZG at first tends to retard the motion of the levers 2,I and the downward motions of the pin. I9 and legs 9; and retards these movements until the anchor point of the spring on pin 21; pivot axis'fof rivet 8 and pm H! are in alignment, which istheneutral or critical position of theelements and' beyond which the spring assists in extending the legs 9 to their fully extended position of Fig, 5. The legs are stopped in this position by the engagement of pin l9 with recesses 21a formed in the bracket ll. I

When it is desired to return the flatiron from the rest position of Fig. to the ironing position of Fig. 4, the iron handle is grasped and the iron pushed forwardly and the nose lowered; the body pivoting,so to speak, on the legs 9. This action causesthe legs 9 to pivot to the rear sincev their lower ends are in engagement with the pressing surface 8 and cannot move forwardly with the iron body. This counterclockwise motion of the legs with reference to the iron body is against the action of the spring 26 which retards their mo tion until the spring again reaches the critical position. When .the spring has been moved such modifications as may be made by one skilled V in the art and which fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

flatiron comprising an ironing body in cluding a soleplate having a pressing surfaceoperable in a normal substantially horizontal position on an ironing work surface, the soleplate at its rear end being provided with two longitudinally extending slots which extend along the side edges of the soleplate, studs on the soleplate, one adjacent to the inner end of each slot, each stud having a flat surface at a slot edge and at right angles to the plane of the pressing surface, supporting legs pivoted on said flat surfaces adapted to move through said slots between a flatiron supporting position outside the flatiron and a non-supportingposition withi in the confines of the ironing body, the inner. ends of said supporting legs beyond their pivots being shaped to provide U-shaped ends, a bracket carried by the soleplate having spaced upstanding ears on which the inner arms of said U- shaped ends are pivoted, a pivot pin connect ing said arms at pointsto the rear of their pivot 7 connections to said ears and so located that the outer end of said operating trigger projecting outwardly and downwardly with respect to the plane of the soleplate to a position such that its end may engage an ironing surface when the flatiron is tilted rearwardly, and an overcenter spring fastened at one end to the soleplate and at the other end to saidpin which when the sup-- porting legs are moved between non-supportin and supporting positions moves from on side of dead center to the other whereby it servesto hold the supporting legs in either of their two positions, said elongated slots serving to permit lengthwise movement'of said pin and trigger with respect to each other when the supporting: legs are moved between non-supporting and supporting positions. V

. ALFRED G. swENsoN.

REFERENCES orrEn The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Num er Name Date 2312 2505 Tangeman et al. June 17, 1947 2,468,813 Cooper et'al May 3, 1949 2,470,532 Thomas May 17,1949 

